Groaning Oleander opened his eyes, but instead of finding himself on the stone floor of the piers, he was instead neatly tucked in his bed. He grunted while adjusting his position until he was sitting on his bed. Was it all just a dream? Nope, he looked down, and sure enough, his pajamas had a hole on the same spot where Dark Rebellion impaled him.
Getting up on his feet, he walked over to his deck and picked up the first card on top of the stack, and sure enough, it was Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Smiling, he placed the card back where it belonged. Stretching a bit, he made his way to the bathroom. Today would be a very special day for him.
After a very long and warm bath, the purple-haired duelist exited the bathroom; however, this time he was sporting some changes to his usual outfit. His jacket, which usually remained zipped up, was now open, revealing a black and purple shirt with a pattern in the chest resembling the one on Dark Rebellion's chest. His pants were now replaced with a pair of ripped black jeans, and hanging on the side of his waist was an iron chain.
After a few more minutes of Oleander gushing over his fit in the mirror, he decided it was time to get some grub before heading to class, but man, he'd be lying; he said he wasn't feeling on top of the world right now. He had three out of the Four Heavenly Dragons, and it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that Clear Wing would eventually make its way to Oleander.
And not only that, but today the promotional exams would take place, meaning Chazzie was about to face a world of pain. Just thinking about the face that snob would make once his life points hit zero was making Oleander shake with excitement! However, all of the aforementioned excitement was swept away when his stomach growled. Okay, breakfast first, duel later.
[Obelisk Blue Dorm - Sadie's room]
Sadie was brushing her hair in front of a mirror while whistling a melody. All of this was an attempt to calm herself down, because while on the outside she seemed fine, on the inside she was a complete nervewreck. Today are the promotional exams, and even with all the time she spent studying, there was still that burning sensation in the back of her mind.
She heard a buzz and upon looking down she saw that her PDA had received a message, setting her brush aside and picking up the device in her hands to see who had sent her the message.
{Oleander Hemlock - Online}
{Today}
-Oleander Hemlock: Hey Sadie, u up? 7:11 AM
-Sadia Agawa: Yup, what's up. 7:11 AM
-Oleander Hemlock: Wanna go to class with me? I have something that will blow ur mind ;) 7:12 AM
-Sadie Agawa: Okay, on my way 7:12
That last part of the conversation somewhat piqued her interest. Knowing Oleander, it could be anything, but she saw no harm in indulging her co-worker. Besides, she likes his company, so some quality time with him would surely be able to help with her nerves.
[Outside]
As Sadie got near the gates of her dorm she saw her purple-haired standing just outside the gate, he was leaning against one of the stone walls with his hands stuffed in his pockets and overall he was acting in a very nonchalant way, however that changed when he saw Sadie approaching.
"Yo boss lady" He gave her one of his signature two-finger salutes. "How's it going, girl?" He asked while placing his hands on the back of his head and turning his gaze upward.
"Nervous, tired…You know a lot of things" She joked while chuckling nervously
"Nah everything will be fine fine" Oleander reassured her while placing a hand on her head and giving her a reassuring head pat, which in turn caused her cheeks to have a slight shade of red to them.
"A-anyway" She said while removing his hand from his head "What did you want to show me?" She inquired after smoothing her hair a bit
He looked left and right in a conspiratorial fashion before motioning for her to follow him, and she did. The pair ended up walking a bit out of the usual dirty road that leads to the academy main building and into a clearing in the forest.
Oleander gave one last check to make sure there wasn't anybody there, and once he was satisfied with the lack of any onlookers, he returned to Sadie, who by this point was thoroughly invested in whatever he was about to show.
"You ready?" He asked with a cheeky grin as he placed a hand on his deck holster, and once Sadie nodded, he opened the holster, pulled a card, and showed it to her.
Picking up the card in his hands, she quickly noticed how different it was. The stars that usually go from right to left were now going from left to right, not to mention their color, which was black instead of the usual shade of reddish orange that other monster cards had.
Another thing to note was the color was pitch-black with some details that seemed like stars, on the space dedicated for card text was the word "Xyz" written between "Dragon" and "Effect" and the requirement simply read "2 Level 4 Monsters".
Sadie just stood there trying to understand the bizarre card she was holding; occasionally she'd shift her gaze to Oleander, who had a big smile plastered on his face, clearly waiting for her to say something.
"Where did you find this?" She questioned while looking at the flip side of the card trying to find anything out of the ordinary but alas there was none to be found "Never saw this" she squinted her eyes and gave a quick glance at the text "Xyz"
"It's a long story" He said bluntly before snatching the card from Sadie's hand "But this will be my secret weapon on the promotional exams" He said with a proud smile on his face as he held the card in front of him.
"Wouldn't this be cheating?" Sadie asked while crossing her arms "And besides how would you even summon that?" She pressed while taking another check at the card text.
"It will be fine!" He exclaimed while dismissing her worries with a wave of the hand he was holding the card "And I have a pretty decent idea on how to use this bad boy" He placed Dark Rebellion back in his deck holster.
"Oleander, I will be honest with you." She had a serious look on her face. "These cards appearing to you out of nowhere are having me worried." Her nails started to dig a bit in her arms as she remembered when that red dragon appeared.
"Sadie" Oleander spoke in a soft and reassuring tone while placing his hands on both of her shoulders "There's nothing to worry about" He gave her a gentle squeeze
She didn't say anything but instead leaned against him in a hug which Oleander wasted no time in reciprocating and so they stood there in silence for a few moments.
"You promise me that you're gonna be fine?" She pulled away from the hug and looked him directly in the eyes
"Like I said before I will be fine" He responded with a reassuring smile "And besides, I have a feeling that these guys are here to help" He turned his attention to his deck holster, feeling a certain warmth coming from it
With nothing left to do, the pair set out in the direction of the main building in order to undertake the exam and for Oleander to have an absolute field day with Chazzie, and sure, Oleander could stop Crowler from giving him those rare cards, but he decided to allow Chazz to have them, giving him the false hope that he has a fighting chance against him.
[At the classroom]
Oleander was sitting on his chair, to his left was Sadie who couldn't stop tapping her feet on the ground and that caused the purple-haired duelist to let out a amused snort upon seeing his friend a nervewreck, but he was sure she would pass this test with flying colors.
The professor selected to apply the exam was none other than the head of the Ra Yellow dorm professor Satyr, and the man of the hour himself was sitting on the desk located at the bottom of the classroom organizing some papers while an electric stove sat next to him, judging by the smell he was cooking something spicy.
And that brought back some memories, mainly of him sitting to eat lunch with his family and his father placing enough hot sauce on his food to kill a dozen men. He remembered trying that for himself only to end up in the bathroom crying his eyes out and desperately washing his tongue in the sink. Heh, those were some good times all right.
Oleander's time dwelling in his former self was cut short when the bell loudly rang, indicating that it was time to take the written part of the exam. Professor Satyr got up from his seat and started to hand the papers, wishing good luck to every student he handed a paper.
Once every student had their papers the test truly started, amidst the low groan of students struggling to understand the subjects presented on the papers was Oleander who was taking his sweet time in going over each and every single question, he had time so there's no need to rush things.
Though some questions regarding Spell Speeds did catch him a bit off guard, thankfully they were far and few between, which the purple-haired duelist was grateful for. The last thing he needed was his plans of moving up in the food chain thwarted because of the goddamn written part.
But after a little over an hour and a half, he finished his test. He got up from his seat and walked to the spot where Professor Satyr was sitting and handed him his test. After bowing, he made his way out of the room. As he was leaving, he couldn't help but notice the looks he was getting from his fellow students; after all, he was the first Slifer to finish his test.
But there was one person in particular that was burning a hole through Oleander, and that was obviously Chazzie. Smirking, Oleander pulled Light and Darkness Dragon from his deck holster and waved it before setting foot outside the room for good.
With nothing better to do, the heterochromatic Slifer Red decided to make his way to the duel fields. It was almost time Oleander could practically taste it.
[At Duel fields]
To say Oleander was bored would be a tremendous understatement. Sadie was busy with her practical exam, so there wasn't really anyone to pass the time, the only sort of company he had was Jaden and Syrus who were sleeping away despite the non-stop chattering around them
Looking at the time on his PDA, he figured that Chazz would have the XYZ-Dragon Cannon cards by now, but it was hard to tell since the anime never bothered to tell when that little circus took place.
"Oleander Hemlock, please make your way to duel field number 4 for your practical examination." A voice in the intercoms called out, rubbing his hands together. The purple-haired duelist wasted no time making a B-line for the field.
[Duel Field #4]
Oleander was standing in the field, just waiting for his opponent to appear. His duel disk was already strapped to his arm alongside his deck, and he took the liberty to shuffle preemptively. Just a bit more, and everyone in Central Academy would watch 'The Chazz' being knocked from his pedestal by a Slimer Red.
Finally, after 10 agonizing minutes, the snob of the hour himself decided to show up. In his face was plastered a sinister smirk. Oleander almost felt bad for the guy, but again, it's pre-Nort Academy Chazz, so…
"Get ready slacker!" He declared while pointing a finger "I will wipe the floor with your sorry ass and get Light And Darkness Dragon back" Oleander could tell that under all of that smugness there was determination.
"That's a very good point but" He tapped his finger on his chin while tilting his head to the side "What if it doesn't want you back?" A smile appeared on his lips as the words left his mouth.
"The hell do you mean?" He balled his fists enraged by the mere notion of his life-long partner not wanting anything to do with him.
"Well think about it, you buried it under a rock and forgot about it as soon as you arrived at the academy" Oleander shook his head in a mocking display of disappointment.
"Shut up slacker!" He snarled while activating his duel disk, it was clearly obvious that any attempt of engaging in further dialogue with the snob would be useless, not that Oleander minded ofcourse.
DUEL!
Oleander Hemlock: 4000 LP Vs. Chazz Princeton: 4000 LP
Turn 1: Chazz's Turn: Cards in hand: 6
"I will have the first move! Draw!" He exclaimed while ripping the card from the top of his deck in a exaggerated motion, after adding the card to his hand he wasted no time in picking two other cards and slapping them in his Spell/Trap zone
"I will begin with two copies of the continuous spell called Frontline Base!" As he spoke, two holograms of the card in question appeared from within a flash of golden light. "With this, I will be able to special summon a level 4 or lower union monster from my hand!" He picked up two cards and slapped them in his Monster Zone.
"So let's go! Z - Metal Tank, and Y - Dragon Head!" Two machines appeared on Chazz's field; one resembled a crab, while the other was a dragon. "But that's not all, here's the final piece of the puzzle! X-Head Cannon!" Yet another machine appeared, this one having a more humanoid appearance with two guns extending from its shoulders.
"Go! Contact Fusion!" Chazz raised his hand high above his head, the trio of machines jumped high in the air, and then Dragon Head attached itself to Head Cannon's lower half, with Metal Tank attaching itself to the mechanical dragon underbelly.
"Fusion Summon! Let's go! XYZ - Dragon Cannon!" Chazz roared as a spark of electricity ran through the machine's body finishing the union process, the machine hit the ground with ground-shaking force.
"But I am not done!" He picked the final card in his hand and placed it in his Spell/Trap Zone "The spell card! Card Of Sanctity!" There were gaps from the audience as Chazz revealed one of Yugi Moto's most important cards.
Chazz wasted no time in yanking the six cards from his deck with one swift motion while Oleander drew his singular card, smiling a bit seeing that he drew his Ophrys Scorpio.
Chazz's Hand: 0 → 6 Cards
Oleander's Hand: 5 → 6 Cards.
"I will set three cards face down." He showed the cards before sliding them into their respective zones. "Now it's up to you." He said it with bitterness that was very audible in his voice.
"Don't mind if I do" Oleander said with a cheeky smile on his face "Draw!" He yanked the card from his deck and added it to his hand
Turn 2: Oleander's Turn: Cards In Hand: 7
"Let's begin with the spell card known as Fusion Birth!" He slided the card in the Spell/Trap Zone before picking 5 cards from the top of his deck and sliding them into his graveyard "If any of the five cards sent to the Graveyard were listed in the requirements of a Fusion Monster then I will be able to summon it" He explained while taking a peek in his GY.
The cards sent where:
Predaplant Spinodionaea
Roll Of Fate
Predaprime Fusion
Rose Marker
Rank Gazer
He frowned a bit seeing that only one monster managed to be sent to the GY. However, he was mildly surprised to see a Xyz support card in his deck, though he was sure that Dark Rebellion had something to do with that, meaning there would probably be a Rank-Up-Magic somewhere among the stack of cards.
"Well, it seems like Fusion Birth was a no-go." He shook his head before shrugging. "Ah well, it looks like I will have to rely on the good ol' reliable! Let's go, Ophrys Scorpio!" He slapped the card in his Monster Zone, causing a small seed to jump from the card and into the ground. Shortly after that, the scorpion monster sprouted.
"Now I will send Predaplant Byblisp to the graveyard to special summon a Predaplant straight from my deck." He showed the card before sliding into his graveyard.
"Here's Scorpio's best friend! Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra!" Oleander watched with delight as Scorpio's tail shot out a seed that sprouted the twin-headed snake.
Darlingtonia Cobra spat out a batch of seed that sprouted a tree with Polymerization hanging from one of its branches like a fruit ripe for harvest, which Oleander did so without thinking twice, but upon doing so caused the tree to wither and crumble away.
"Now it's for Byblisp's turn to activate his effect" He said while his graveyard was emitting a faint golden light "I will now be able to add any Predaplant monster from my deck to my hand" As he finished explaining that a flower rose from his graveyard and upon blossoming it revealed another copy of Spinodionaea.
"My turn to Fusion Summon" He said with a smirk as he placed Polymerization in the Spell/Trap Zone "I will fuse Scorpio and Cobra to create the most dangerous of plants!" He declared as his two monsters started to glow with blue and red light respectively.
"Fusion Summon!" The plant monsters were absorbed by the familiar sight of a swirling portal. "Come to me! Level 7! Predpalant Chimerafflesia!" A giant flower emerged from the portal, and the creature opened its petals to reveal a giant gaping mouth with rolls on rolls of razor-sharp teeth.
"Now ready for battle?" Oleander asked as Chimerafflesia reared its head back before launching it at full-speed in Dragon Cannon's direction
"Are you crazy? Dragon Cannon incinerate that thing!" The machine's weapons started to charge-up at the giant monster, however to Chazz's shock the weapons started to power down as Dragon Cannon's attack started to fall "What's happening?" He questioned after seeing a bunch of vines sap the machine's energy.
"When Chimerafflesia battles it steals 1000 attack points from your monster" Oleander said in a very nonchalant way while watching with delight as his monster grew in strength.
Predaplant Chimerafflesia: 2500 → 3500 ATK
XYZ - Dragon Cannon : 2800 → 1800 ATK
"I will use the trap card Draining Shield!" He roared as the card flipped face-up before creating a lime green barrier stopping Chimerafflesia's attack and showering Chazz in green particles.
Chazz Princeton: 4000 LP → 7500 LP
"Not gonna give up that easily huh?" Oleander chuckled to himself as he picked three cards from his hands and placed them face-down "As my turn comes to a close your monster's attack points return to normal" He explained as Dragon Cannon finally managed to break free from the vines
XYZ - Dragon Cannon: 1800 → 2800
"It's my turn! Draw" He declared while drawing his card in a sharp motion
Turn 3: Chazz's Turn: Cards in hand: 4
"I will begin with Dragon Cannon's effect! By discarding one card from my hand, your monster goes bye-bye!" The second Chazz's discarded card touched the GY, the machine aimed its cannons at Chimerafflesia before firing a powerful blue blast that completely incinerated the monster.
Chazz's Hand: Cards: 4 → 3
"Time to battle! Go Dragon Cannon!" The snob roared as the still-smoking cannons started to charge yet another attack, this time aimed at Oleander's chest.
"Reveal trap card! Rope of Life!" With a sharp motion of the heterochromatic duelist arm, the card revealed itself: "Since my monster was sent to the graveyard, I will be able to bring it back." The card started to float above Oleander before shooting out a rope that dove straight into his GY and pulling the destroyed monster's card.
"And thanks to Rope of Life's effect, my monster will return with 800 extra attack points." He explained with a smirk as he snatched the card from the rope and slapped it in his field. His smile grew wider as the gargantua plant monster rose from the ground once more.
Predaplant Chimerafflesia: 2500 → 3300
Chazz gritted his teeth and motioned for his monster to call off the attack, and the machine did so as the giant plant abomination placed itself in front of Oleander in a protective manner.
"Yet another one of your plans ended in failure." Oleander remarked with a sinister grin, "Just like everything in your miserable life." He started to chuckle after saying that last part.
"Miserable?!" He growled after hearing those words "Do you even know who you are talking to?" He snapped while glaring at him
"Of course I know to whom I am speaking." Oleander placed his finger in his forehead while he started to laugh. "You're a delusional snob who has absolutely no one that loves you in this world." He opened his eyes, and as he did so, a dangerous glint flashed across them.
"Because let's be realistic, Chazzie." Oleander clapped his hands together. "You have absolutely no one in this world that truly cares about you." He stopped with a shocked expression while placing a hand over his mouth. "Oh, wait, you did, but you threw them away." He said that while laughing from the top of his lungs.
The stage was silent; all that was heard was the sound of Oleander's borderline demented laughter. Chazz was just standing there, all the life in his eyes seemingly vanishing in an instant.
"What's the matter?" Oleander asked after recovering from his laughing fit, "Don't have anything else to say?" He taunted while placing a hand in his ear. "Not going to try and hide behind that fragile ego of yours?" His grin grew wider as he continued to relentlessly mock and taunt the snob.
"S-shut" The words stumbled out of his mouth as he started to shake from head to toe.
"Alexis, for example, barely acknowledges your existence." He said, while jerking his thumb in the blonde's direction, "And while you are lost in your delusions of love, she just goes on with her day without giving you even a glancing tough." He shook his head while allowing his hand to fall to the side.
"S-stop" He clutched his head with both hands.
"And your brothers, there's not enough time on the day for me to explain how much they see you as a mere tool for their ambitions" He them turned his head at Chazz's two goons "And those two right there are only with you in a vain hope of acquiring status" He shook his head once more.
"But I am tired of pointing out the obvious" He placed two fingers on top of his deck "So let's bring this sad display to an end" He yanked the card with a swift and sharp motion
Turn 4: Oleander's Turn: Cards in hand: 2
"I will begin by summoning Predaplant Spinodionaea" He slapped the card on his duel disk, spinosaurus with a giant mawl of a flytrap on its back burst from the ground, the creature let out a ground shaking roar.
"And now, It's time to finish this duel" With a swift and gracious motion Oleander jammed the card in the Spell/Trap Zone "I will use the spell card Ultra Polymerization!" He declared as sparks of green electricity ran through his body
Oleander Hemlock: 4000 → 3000 LP
"I will now fuse both my Spinodionae and Chimerafflesia to create the ultimate toxic nightmare!" He exclaimed as his monsters started to glow in the familiar blue and red aura
"Fusion Summon!" He clasped his hands together as his monsters were sucked by the swirling portal "Two Beautiful flowers with an insect-alluring fragrance. Now become one, From a hell under your petals, Give birth to another terror! Appear! Level 8! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" From the portal a stream of violet gunk shot out and from within the Heavenly Dragon of fusion emerged.
"And now Ultra Polymerization's second effect!" He raised his duel disk above his head as a purple light started to shine from his GY. "Do you know what it does, Chazzie?" He asked to snob; however, Chazz didn't respond. His hair was covering his eyes, and his shoulders were slumped.
"Well since you're so kind to ask I will explain; it will allow me to special summon the monsters used by the fusion however their effects are negated and their attack points reduced to zero and their levels become 4" The two cards slided out of his GY and he placed them back on the field.
Predaplant Chimerafflesia ( LV: 8 → 4) ATK: 2500 → 0
Predaplant Spinodionaea ( LV: 4 ) ATK: 1800 → 0
"Now you must be wondering what little old me can do with two level 4 monsters with no attack points?" He placed his hands behind his back and waited for a response, but alas, he got none.
"I think it's about time for Central Academy to bear witness to the Heavenly Dragon of the Xyz Dimension!" He shouted as both of his plant monsters were engulfed in purple light before transforming into two shiny orbs that orbited around Oleander as he held the Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon card above his head.
The two orbs were then absorbed by Oleander while his eyes started to glow with a purple light and the shadowy silhouette of Dark Rebellion started to form above the purple-haired duelist head.
"From the pitch-black darkness. Rise up against the foolish oppression, Fang of Rebellion!" He slapped the card into his duel disk. "Xyz Summon! Descend Now! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The dragon's shadowy form exploded in a bright purple light as it materialized itself.
The light in Oleander's eyes faded and he was now standing in awe, he not only performed the first Xyz summon this world has ever seen but he did so without the Overlay Network.
Both Heavenly Dragons stood side-by-side as they roared in unison. As they did, Oleander could feel something deep in his deck resonating with them; unfortunately, none of the set cards in his field could help him bring out Odd-Eyes. He mentally apologized to his friend.
"I will now use Dark Rebellion's effect!" He picked one of the cards underneath Dark Rebellion's card and slipped into his GY "By detaching one overlay unity, he will be able to absorb half of your monster's attack points!" The purple dragon's wings started to emit electricity as he siphoned energy from Dragon Cannon.
XYZ - Dragon Cannon: 2800 → 1400 ATK
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 2500 → 3900 ATK
"Guess what, Chazzie?" He asked while sending the last overlay unity to the GY. "I will do that again." Dark Rebellion then mimicked the same behavior and absorbed even more energy.
XYZ - Dragon Cannon: 1400 → 700 ATK
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: 3900 → 4600 ATK
"And finally, I will use Starving Venom's ability to increase his attack by your monster's attack points," Oleander snapped his fingers, causing Starving Venom's snake-like tendrils to extend themselves and absorb energy from Dragon Cannon, making the dragon roar as his attack points rose.
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon: 2800 → 3500 ATK
"Starving Venom! Attack!" Oleander punched the air in front of him as his dragon lunged forward and grabbed one of Dragon Cannon's weapons, tearing one of them off. He proceeded to viciously beat the machine with the torn-off weapon until it was nothing more than an unrecognizable pile of scrap metal which proceeded to explode shortly after.
Chazz Princeton: 7500 → 4700 LP
"Dark Rebellion! Go! Lighting Disobey of Rebellion!" Dark Rebellion's wings started to crackle with electricity as he proceeded to charge towards Chazz at full speed, the spike in its mawl dragging across the floor and slashing at the snob.
Chazz Princeton: 4700 → 100 LP
"Well you managed to survive" Oleander remarked as Dark Rebellion made his way beside him once more "But look at you all alone again" The purple-haired duelist remarked while shaking his head.
But that's when Chazz did something that he wasn't expecting at all. The snob placed his hand over his deck, signifying he was conceding the duel to Oleander, who in turn started to laugh once more.
Chazz Princeton: Forfeited The Match
Winner: Oleander Hemlock
"Can't even take your loss like a man" Oleander tisked while wagging his finger "But I expected nothing else from you" He then walked over to where Chazz was standing and unceremoniously dropped Light And Darkness Dragon to his feets
Without saying anything else he turned on his heels and left the field, his two dragons following right behind him as the only sound running echoing in the stadium were those of Oleander's footsteps which quickly faded away.
And shortly after everyone else left the dueling field, no one was even bothering to walk over to where Chazz was standing, but instead left the broken snob with nothing more than the bitter taste of defeat and a broken spirit.
[Author's Notes]
Hey there folks! It's ya boy! Mac!
And FINALLY we had not only Oleander's promotional exam but also some action involving Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Yippie!
And holy shit Oleander delivered a verbal beatdown to poor little Chazzie, I wonder how that will affect his character growth in the future, only time will tell!
Originally I wanted to write a portion of this Chapter dedicated to Reinhardt, but the duel made this Chapter ginormous, but I promise y'all we will see more of the Totally-Not-Akaka-Reije in the future!
Now to answer some reviews:
Zap. C. Cannon: It's an interesting idea and one that I will make sure to consider in the future.
Moose3333: I know it's already been done to death to thing of starting in Slifer Red, but ya gotta start somewhere, and now that Oleander will move to Ra Yellow, I will have some more interesting characters to play around with.
Anyhow that's it folks! Mac sign' out!
Don't forget to leave a review containing Criticism and/or Reviews! I read all of them!